This coming Sunday begins my sermon series on Martin Luther's Small Catechism. A special edition is being made available for each household in the congregation. Luther wrote the catechism (a book in the format of questions and answers) in order to provide the basics of the Christian faith to people.

My sermon this Sunday will focus on the Ten Commandments. In his explanation to each commandment Luther said that we are to "fear and love" God so that...... While Luther wanted us to stand in awe of God, we also realize that it is for our own good (and that of our relationships) that we live out these laws given to us from God.

The commandments can be divided into loving God (commandments 1 - 3) and loving your neighbor (commandments 4-10). The First Commandment is "You shall have no other gods." Luther highlighted this one commandment in his writings and believed that if we get this commandment right, the keeping of the others would naturally follow.

Think about your own thoughts toward these commandments given to us by God in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Do you feel that they are still powerful today? Or have we lost our sense of connection with them?

What is interesting is what is tagged onto the First Commandment. It is that God is a jealous God, punishing those unto the third and fourth generations of those who reject God, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love God and keep the commandments. We note here the blessing that is attached to obeying what God has given us.

You may want to read through these commandments in your Bible in preparation for worship on Sunday. May God's blessing be upon your preparation and worship as you enter the season of Lent.

With this Sunday, we come to the end of the Epiphany season and we celebrate the Transfiguration. Instead of reading about Jesus performing miracles, it is Jesus himself taking center stage and something happens to him. He takes three disciples up on a high mountain where he becomes transfigured.

Here is an excerpt of the text from Sunday's Gospel:

"Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white." Matthew 17:1-9

You kind of wonder what it was like for those disciples to have had such an experience. They were familiar with him being a human being like them but somehow possessing some magical powers as he performed miracles. Now we observe that his very being gets transformed. After this event is over and they are walking down the mountain, Jesus tells them to tell no one the vision until he has been raised from the dead.

Could you keep this kind of event to yourself? Was Jesus wondering perhaps if others would doubt what they had seen? Whatever the reason, these disciples caught a glimpse of divine glory. Wouldn't they need assurance of his being considering what would happen to him - with him being crucified?

Think about your own life in preparation for Sunday. Have you had such moments where you experienced divine glory? Maybe it is as you are out walking in nature, where you see something that is absolutely breathtaking. You've caught a glimpse of the beauty of God's creation. Or maybe it is that in some fashion you experienced the intervention of God in your own life.

For this Sunday, I would invite you to reflect on your own life and where YOU might have had such a moment. The full reading is Matthew 17:1-9 You might want to read several Bible translations as part of your preparation.

This Sunday's Gospel reading brings us to an awesome challenge by Jesus. It is concerning non-retaliation. We live in a world of wanting to get back at someone who has done us wrong. Jesus points us in another direction. Here is an excerpt from the Gospel reading.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you." Matthew 5: 38 - 48

The Old Testament had the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The purpose of the law was for the punishment not to exceed the matter of the crime. Now, Jesus turns this law on its head by encouraging his followers to turn the other cheek.

This directive comes to us as a kingdom value. But operating with non-retaliation, there is the possibility of perhaps winning the person over to you - if not to Christ. One must remember that God has operated with us in this fashion. God's love has come to our disobedience not by retaliating but by giving us Jesus who suffered unjustly for us. We, therefore, ought to reflect this love in how we deal with others.

This certainly is a challenge for us in our world today. I would ask you to reflect on these words of Scripture. The whole reading is "Matthew 5:38 - 48. Also included here is the directive to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. What challenge might this present to you in your own life? May God's blessing be upon your reflection of these words and your worship this Sunday.

For a church to function properly and have a clear sense of mission, it needs to have its members working together well. Too often, there can be cliques and in-fighting which distracts a congregation from being fully focused on its general mission. The lesson from 1 Corinthians this Sunday brings us to the importance of people working together. Here is an excerpt:

"I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, 'I belong to Paul,' and another, 'I belong to Apollos,' are you not merely human.'" ! Cor. 3:3-4.

It is important, I believe, to realize that our allegiance really is to Jesus and doing his work and not being caught up in one's own self-interest. Although there may be differences, we still need to work together.

We must also realize that not everything in doing God's work depends on us. This is a major thing to understand. Here, I refer again to Paul's words to the church at Corinth:

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." 1 Cor. 3:6-7

I like how this highlights that not everything is going to depend on me in doing the Lord's work. I realize my humanness and also my limitations. God can do amazing things beyond what I can do. For instance, if I talk to someone about Christ or the church, I can pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the life of that person!

You may want to read the entire reading, which is 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. May God's blessing be upon your reflection of these words as well as your worship this Sunday.

Do you feel you can be of influence in helping to shape the morals of others? Do you believe that you could enrich the lives of others? These are questions we can ask ourselves and that pertain to the message this Sunday. We are brought to our Gospel reading where we have these words of our Lord:

"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot." Matthew 5:13

In the same breath, Jesus would say to his followers that they are the light of the world and to let their light shine before others. My message will, however, focus on the aspect of salt. It is a common ingredient and yet quite powerful when only a little is needed!

We notice here how Jesus gives them an identity. They ARE salt and as salt serves to be a preservative or add flavor, it can have a strong impact. Think about the morals of those around you? Maybe they don't match how you live as a Christian. Do you think you could be of influence? Think, too, of trying to preserve the Christian witness and values in organizations to which you might be a member.

Now, think also about adding flavor to those around you. Maybe you befriend someone in a way that brings encouragement and support. You find yourself uplifting that spirit in a moment of despair. You might have more influence than what you believe. I would invite you in preparation for this Sunday to think of the decay or corruption around you and how you might be of influence. After all, we are called to go forward and not be in retreat! How might you add flavor to those around you?

May God's blessing be upon your preparation and worship for this Sunday. The full Gospel reading is Matthew 5:13 - 20.

What does God require of us? If you were asked this question point blank, you might just answer that it is to believe in Christ and keep the faith. However, there is more to what God requires and maybe you would have felt as such in your answer.

We get a glimpse of what goes beyond just believing to doing as we come to the First Reading for this Sunday. Here is an excerpt:

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

The scene is one of a courtroom where God is bringing a case against Israel, The people were not living well in God's ways - there was bribery, misuse of prophesy, and other abuses. Now Micah comes on the scene to state that God is aware of such conditions. What God requires is not more burnt offerings or even human sacrifice (Micah 6: 6-7), but that the people would do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God.

Think about your own life? How are you living it out as a person of faith? Do you have a concern for justice - i.e., looking at where there are systemic problems versus just giving immediate aid? Do you show kindness toward others? Do you have a sincere way of being in communion with God? This Sunday invites us to examine our living as people of faith.

You may want to read Micah 6:1-8 in preparation for Sunday's worship. May God's blessing be upon your reading and worship this Sunday.

In this season of Epiphany we would think of God's light shining upon us. This emphasis brings us to the reading from Isaiah 9:1-4 for this Sunday which will form the text of my message. We have these words:

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness --on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian." Isaiah 9:2-4

Israel was in deep darkness having lost land to the country of Assyria and being taken captive. Now the prophet is talking about a new time of reclaiming the land. God's intervention - God's light - would win them the victory!

I would invite you to think about the "darkness" in our world today - how people are being oppressed, where evil might abound, where people are neglected or maginalized. How might God's light bring some good news to them and how might the church play a role here? You probably could name some instances where the church has helped to combat evil and bring hope to people.

Think of your own invidual life and times of despair. Are you able to let God's word shed some light into your life? If you are going through a time of darkness, I would invite you to search the Scriptures. You will be able to find hope in God's word.

For this Sunday, I would ask you to reflect on this power of God's light. May the meditation of these words and your preparation be a blessing to you.

There are many images of Jesus in the New Testament and our Gospel reading brings us to one of them. Here is an excerpt of the text for this Sunday about the words spoken byJohn the Baptist:

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, 'Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'" John 1:29-30

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God. Certainly, this way of referring to Jesus is rich in meaning especially as derived from the Old Testament Passover sacrifice of a lamb as well as to the conquering lamb in apocalyptic writings.

Two of John's disciples begin to follow Jesus and a brief conversation takes place between them and Jesus. The disciples ask Jesus where he is staying and Jesus responds by saying, "Come and see." How readily are we willing to give an invitation to someone who might be unchurched and is searching? Maybe we can't fully explain the gospel in a way we would like or can't fully explain the experience of our worship! Yet, we can extend the invitation to others to 'come and see.' There is so much to the good news to understand, let alone to our own worship. Yet, it might take time and someone just has to come and see; i.e. actually experience worship itself.

Andrew as one of the two disciples left and found his brother Peter and brought him to the Lord. We also have the challenge of inviting others to come and experience all that Jesus has to offer. I would encourage you to consider what you would say to someone about what Jesus offers to an individual and also about what your church has to offer. You might give a quick answer, but I would ask you to think deeply about this in preparation for worship this Sunday.

As we enter the season of Epiphany (beginning January 6), we come to celebrate the ways that Jesus' glory is manifested. The baptism of our Lord was one of those ways. The voice from heaven confirms Jesus as God's Son as John the Baptist baptizes Jesus.

The season of Epiphany is also one of focusing on missions. Yes, even the wise men (Gentiles) from the East come to pay homage to the Christ-child. My message will focus on the reading from Acts 10:34 - 43. Here is an excerpt:

"Then Peter began to speak to Cornlius and his household: I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."...That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." Acts 10:34, 38.

Peter here has visited the home of a Roman by the name of Cornelius and soon he will come to faith. God's mission is expanding beyond the Jews.

We also have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and power through our baptism. It enables us to do works that we thought were never really possible. Think for yourself how you are empowered to do good to others and manifest how Christ is in you. You have been commissioned and empowered by God to go out into the world and be part of Jesus' mission.

I hope that in the beginning of this new year, you will focus on the power that you have with your faith. It's all going back to your baptism. May you also remember that God has made you a child of the heavenly family through this sacrament!

God sent Jesus to us and what is remarkable is that he didn't just suddenly appear as a man who came to proclaim salvation to us. Rather, he comes to us as a baby and born of a woman. He comes within the context of a family. What gets thornier is how this narrative all plays out. God is involved during the whole time of Mary's pregnancy. The message this Sunday will focus on Joseph and his role. We have these words from our Gospel reading pertaining to Joseph after discovering Mary's pregnancy...

"Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord apeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people rom their sins.'" Matthew 1:19-20

What do you make of this? Joseph had desired to seek a divorce (engagement was tantamount to marriage in that day) and now God intervenes to give directions to Joseph to go ahead and take Mary as his wife. I wonder how often we realize that God may be intervening to write the script of OUR lives. Maybe we feel compelled to go in a certain direction; but we feel a tugging inside us to do otherwise. We must change our course of action!

I believe as people of faith we must live on faith. We must always be open for God's leading however that might occur. It is having our antenna tuned to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You might want to read the entire selection which is Matthew 1:18-25 to get the full story for this Sunday.